Designing for Production in ZBrush | The Gnomon Workshop

In this title, Art Director Rafael Grassetti demonstrates his entire process of designing and creating a character in ZBrush. He explores the different tools and techniques used to sketch concepts while keeping the mindset of later creating a character for production. Starting with the character blockout, Rafael creates the secondary shapes, refines the model, then moves on to sculpting the fine details and texturing the character. The final rendering is taken into Photoshop for compositing to illustrate the final character as a product that is ready to be taken through a game or cinematic production.

6 Lessons

01Introduction and DesignFree

Rafael Grassetti's character design workshop reveals how to maintain creative flexibility throughout the sculpting process rather than achieving perfection too early. Rafael treats early phases as true sketching where shapes are fluid and nothing is precious to allow for freer exploration. Artists learn to recognize when to refine versus when to explore, ensuring that professional goals guide where time and energy are invested.

Duration: 22m 37s

Introduction and Design

02Blocking Out the Character

To become a strong character artist is less about mastering specific tools and more about understanding artistic principles such as anatomy, design flow, form, and character personality. Rafael advocates a flexible approach to digital sculpting, where clean topology enables refinement without hindering bold exploration. Artists learn versatile problem-solving skills across different pipelines to develop distinctive and technically sound character work.

Duration: 25m 30s

Blocking Out the Character

03Secondary Shapes

Rafael Grassetti emphasizes strategic decision-making throughout the sculpting process, knowing when to experiment and when to refine, and how to structure a portfolio. Artists learn that technical proficiency opens doors early in a career, while design interpretation becomes more important over time. Rafael stresses the importance of avoiding premature detail work and assessing pieces from multiple perspectives to preserve overall design flow.

Duration: 29m 31s

Secondary Shapes

04Refining the Model

Successful 3D character work requires balancing artistic refinement with production efficiency. Artists learn to understand when "good enough" is sufficient, identifying which areas deserve detailed attention based on the final presentation. Rafael demonstrates that professional speed comes from knowing when to move forward, combining foundational modeling knowledge with ZBrush sculpting techniques.

Duration: 19m 35s

Refining the Model

05Details and Textures

This lesson demonstrates a professional approach to final detailing that balances speed with quality through strategic use of procedural and manual techniques. Rafael emphasizes non-destructive workflows using layers and morph targets to reflect production-ready practices.

Duration: 20m 50s

Details and Textures

06Rendering and Composition

Rafael's final lesson demonstrates a flexible, layer-based approach to creating professional-quality renders from ZBrush models without needing advanced rendering software. Rafael shows how this method provides exceptional control over lighting and materials despite being more time-consuming. Artists discover a process that is adaptable based on project requirements and personal artistic preferences.

Duration: 12m 21s

Rendering and Composition

Primary tools

For this workshop you’ll need:

* Note that these programs and materials will not be supplied with the course.

Skills Covered

character art character creature texturing digital sculpting lighting & rendering look development

Who’s this Workshop for?

This workshop is tailored for intermediate to advanced character artists and digital sculptors who already have a working familiarity with ZBrush and want to elevate their skills toward professional-ready production workflows. It’s especially relevant for artists focused on character creation for games and cinematics, where maintaining form and detail from early design through final presentation is essential. Game artists, cinematic modelers, and sculptors building portfolio pieces for high-end projects will benefit directly from Rafael Grassetti’s real-world process. Concept artists moving into 3D and more experienced students pursuing industry careers will also find the lessons immediately applicable

Learning Outcomes

By completing this workshop, artists will be able to:

- Apply a structured character creation pipeline in ZBrush that moves from concept and blockout to refined forms and production-ready detailing, aligned with professional standards.
- Efficiently block out and define principal forms using ZBrush tools in a way that supports later refinement and detailing.
- Develop secondary shapes and proportions that enhance silhouette and anatomical accuracy within a production mindset.
- Sculpt fine surface detail and texture that contribute to a polished, compelling character model suitable for portfolio use or pipeline handoff.
- Create and present compelling renders within ZBrush, emphasizing lighting and presentation techniques useful for review and client showcases.
- Composite final renders in Photoshop to present polished imagery that communicates design intent and production quality.

Instructor Rafael GrassettiArt Director at Sony Santa Monica on God of War

Rafael Grassetti is an Art Director at Naughty Dog with over twenty years of experience in games, cinematic, and collectible design. He began his career in 2004 at advertising studios in Brazil before moving into freelance character art for cinematics, advertising, and the toy industry, working with companies including Hasbro, Marvel, and Ubisoft.

In 2011, Rafael relocated to Canada to join BioWare (EA) as a Senior Character Artist, contributing to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. He moved to California in 2013 to work at Sony (VASG) as Character Art Supervisor on titles such as Killzone: Shadow Fall, Infamous 3, and The Order: 1886. He later joined Santa Monica Studio, where he advanced from Principal Artist to Studio Art Director on the God of War series, and eventually served as Art Director for Netflix projects.

Rafael has contributed to over 70 projects across 15+ companies, with expertise spanning traditional and digital sculpting, modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, and art direction for characters, environments, and effects.

Projects

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